Monday, June 29, 2009

Animatronic Halloween Props Cardboard Carpentry

One of the most inexpensive ways to create stonewalls in your home/haunt is by using good-?ol cardboard boxes. Boxes laid flat and painted to the desired effect are relatively easy and cheap methods of creating stonewall effects.

The availability of the material is stunning. In fact, most people and businesses are more than willing to give up large, bulky cardboard boxes taking up precious space. It?s incredibly lightweight and the amount of cardboard to re-do an average bedroom can be hefted by one person.

Another plus is that if your cache of cardboard is destroyed???.SO WHAT? More is always available, and except for painting time and material, free seems incredibly cost effective.

Cardboard is not only for just good for covering walls, it can be used structurally to create walls, columns, and facades and look good while doing so.

And the all so important off-season storage dilemma is covered here as well. Since cardboard is easily folded, it stacks well vertically or horizontally.

Acquiring Cardboard

So right now you?re probably thinking about you local grocer and how he helped you out with some boxes on your last move. Well unless carrots start growing six feet tall forget it!

We need square footage with as little piecing together as possible. Washers, dryers, water heaters, and cabinets are excellent boxes for wall work. Refrigerator and freezer boxes are the cr?me-de-la-cr?me of cardboard scavenging.

The best place to find ALL these kinds of boxes is in new residential construction. It?s hard not to tell when the plumbers have ?topped out? all the fixtures in the building as a huge stack of boxes appears in the waste heap. That?s right ???Waste. I refer to these occurrences as ?Box Days?

You may want to ask permission from the sites superintendent to avoid unneeded arrests, but I can almost guarantee that nobody?s going to object to you removing bulky waste from the housing tract.

Kitchen and bathroom cabinets that have been purchased from major production outlets ship boxed. They tend not to be cut like someone was chewing their way out, like some washer, dryer and water heater boxes are, as the heavy appliances are maneuvered out of their boxes and into place. Keeping an eye out on a tract or two of new houses is key to discovering box days.

Box days also occur when people move into their new home as well. You would be surprised at how many people clean through their stuff AFTER the move to the new house. Usually these boxes are either driven or carried around the corner to a trash heap and left there.

You can also score bonus finds in move-in rubbish such as motors, trim, paint, gears and old household stuff to turn into Halloween goodies and nobody really cares if they are removed.

Actually they?re not even supposed to be there in the first place.

By all means explore other venues where large boxed items are opened frequently, such as freight warehouses and import companies, but in this authors opinion, new and developing housing is the source worth watching.

The GOOD, the BAD, and the UGLY

Corrugated board usually consists of outer flat sheets (veneers) of puncture resistant paper, sandwiching a central filling of corrugated short fiber paper (fluting), which resists crushing under compression and gives cushioning protection to the box's contents. The cardboard has high end-to-end strength along the corrugated flutes, so the box is normally designed with the corrugation running vertically for stacking strength.

The veneers and corrugated medium are glued together along the outsides of the peaks and valleys of each flute, normally using starch adhesives. The starch adhesives are usually derived from corn, wheat or potato.

We are concerned with the double face cardboard because of its availability. Occasionally building materials such as sheetrock mud, lacquer, and cement will splash onto the sheets of cardboard and dry while in the trash. Most substances will come off with a simple brush of the hand or with a stiff broom. You can remove more stubborn areas with a square nosed shovel, inverted so the underside of the scoop is up. This will prevent the shovel from digging into the corrugation.

Cardboard that has been exposed to water, rain, or other moisture will separate and delaminate the veneers from the corrugation.

Preparations

So first thing you want to do to get started is to cut the flaps free at the top and the bottom of the box so the flaps remain intact. Find the seam where the machine glued the box together and cut along the crease originally made when the box was assembled. Don't bother trying to save the flap here as it usually tears the veneer from the corrugation.

Lay the box flat on the ground so all of the flaps are visible. Notice the notches die cut into the sheet where the flaps once folded? Run a piece of 2 masking tape, starting from the outside edge of the box, all along the notch, plus about 2-3 beyond and into the field. Repeat for all the notches then walk or slide your foot along the tape to secure it well then turn the sheet over. We are going to tape these same notches again only a little bit different.

This time start your strips of tape about 2-3 inside the field, similar to the other sides ending point, but when you reach the outside edge, run the tape about 4-6 longer than the boxes edge. Secure the strip with your foot then carefully fold this extra tape over and onto the tape from the first side.

This will strengthen and fill the gap created by the notch. The extra tape that is folded over the edge to the other side prevents it from tearing into flaps again.

Delaminated cardboard should be trimmed back to areas where the glue still adheres the layers together. Using a sharp razor knife and a long, strait cutting edge makes this a simple task.

Trim any holes up by cutting a square or rectangle area around the damage. Then cut a scrap of cardboard that fits inside this area loosely(1/8 gap). Taping both sides of cardboard with a 4 overlap beyond any 90 degree angled corners is good to secure it in place.

Most rips and tears in cardboard can be re-joined simply by pushing them together, and taping both sides with 1 overlapping strips of 2 tape until the piece feels sturdy along the tear As always, any rips that tears through the outside edge should be taped with a 4-6 overlapping strip.

Whatever you do, don't spend more time taping together small pieces than you could finding a decent box! Before taping up sheets like jigsaw puzzles, stop and evaluate the overall useful square footage you have to deal with. Is there more than 80% of the box intact? Do I have to fill a lot of punctures and tears?

A box with 20% fill and repair is almost too much work considering the availability of boxes. YOU have to ultimately decide if a box is worth your efforts or not.

Shortages of money for tape can be a factor. I always keep on the lookout for discarded rolls of partially used tape while digging through the construction rubble. A lot of contractors leave behind all different kinds of tape. Ductape (not very paintable but strong as hell!) is always in abundance around tract home sites. The tape the stucco lathers use around here to seal their 3/4 foam board is THE BEST for our intended application. It is pretty much a veneer with adhesive and it paints just like cardboard.

Painting

First off, lets cover some of my frugal basics of paint and painting supplies. Never throw away rollers unless you absolutely have to! Remember that most Halloween paints are black and grays, so washing out the color is near impossible. If enough paint is washed out the roller it becomes soft and fluffy and totally re-useable. It will still be black or gray but rinsing out enough paint to save some money isn't that much work.

Most hardware stores, back in the paint section, have what they call an oops area. An oops area is where all the custom coloring is done.......sometimes twice. The quart, gallon, and five gallon containers from the employees first attempts at the customers colors are usually reduced price steals. Where else are you going to find five gallons of black 30 year exterior latex enamel for $15.00? Concrete paints, porch and deck polymers, and the always abundant latex varieties are all victims to colorant errors. This is something I do faithfully every time I enter my Home Depot or Orchard Supply Hardware stores. Always seems to be a gallon black or a shade of gray in there all year long. Beware of the paint Nazi who thinks she can tell you how to paint and with what. PVA primer CAN be pigmented.

First thing you're going to do roll on the mortar color first. For the mortar I use a lighter shade of gray than the stone color.....which is best black. Very dark and forbidding. You're going to want to get an extension pole for your roller or this might get hard. Broom handles work in a pinch and are even the right thread count. I then park all the vehicles on the street to free up room in the drive. You want fairly firm ground so the job of rolling paint evenly goes easy. Concrete is ideal but I've seen some dirt driveways that will work just as well given all the small stones are raked or swept so as not to poke through the cardboard and to insure even paint coverage. What will not work well is the lawn or your neighbors lawn so just use his driveway instead.

When all the cardboard has been laid out on the driveway and in the garage, I roll a heavy single coat on, being sure to roll the paint into the creases created from the folding of corners in it's previous life as a box. The advantage to mass painting is the dry time alone from opening up a can again and again. As of this writing, the Home Depot in my town doesn't stock them anymore since they informed me that they are just going to hire some teenagers to use the forms to make the pre-made concrete stones they sell now.....hmm.

Orchard Supply to the rescue once again. The concrete molds have been in stock there forever. So get a walkway mold and align it with on one side or the other of your painted sheet. It's easiest to use a colored pencil similar in color to the color of your base coat. This makes it not so noticeable and you don't always stay within the lines so much, right kids? I tried using a Sharpie on one sheet and I hated myself for all the dark, heavy black lines left to cover. Using the mold upside down, trace the contour of the stones out onto the cardboard. Now, lightly scribe the two outside flanges where the pattern forms a v on one side and an a on the other side made by the mold's outside shape. These will be the keys to line up the next areas to be scribed since there's no concrete to line up the mold with again and the mold shape itself makes it hard the judge the distance from the last stone to the next to keep the mortar thickness the same. Once I can see the rocks I can't help but miss the ass in my face....yummy.

They best part about this next phase is you get to sit down and paint the stones. The cardboard isn't all that uncomfortable, so the whole family can pitch in and help. I use one of those small foam bushes with soft little angled bristles. It is set on a curved handle with comfort in mind because painting this way with a standard brush would require you to post your wrists while painting to stay within the lines. By posting I mean setting your wrist down on a surface much like when you write with a pencil. but this is like moving a matchbox car with a tight turn radius around the rock patterns we scribed earlier. Another plus of this curved handle is it allows you to dip the brush directly into the paint can to wet the foam pad. This eliminates the pouring of paint into other smaller containers which wastes paint.

In no time at all you'll have each stones outline down to a rhythm. Most all the stones can be completed in two independent outline strokes and one more stroke to fill. Try to have an adult go first, stenciling ahead of any children. We know how eager they can be sometimes. Once the mortar coat is dry to the touch, you can stack all the sheets into one pile. Try to complete one sheet at a time. Stencil all of it then paint all the stones as well. Trying to complete a dozen at once is way too overwhelming of a task, believe you me. The stack is way soft now and everyone shouldn't mind painting for a little bit. No need to have perfectly painted stones because The Powers That Be didn't waste His/Her/Their time making them identical so neither should you.

Grommets

This is one of the greatest tools ever overlooked. see Figure 5. The grommet installation kit. Stores like Harbor Freight sells kits like this for about $4.99 and comes with something like 100 or so grommets.

The grommet gives us a strong anchor point without worrying about any tearing or ripping or having nails or staples pull away from the wall from it's weight. A small round punch is used to make a perfect circle. I use a small scrap of plywood underneath the cutting operation so as not to dull the cutter. A steel base with 1/2 the grommet poking through the hole is placed below the cardboard. The other 1/2 of the grommet is placed on top of this with a steel punch made to curl the soft metal grommet in the base then smacked with a hammer till it seats down. Do not beat the piss out of it since the grommet since it crimps itself onto the cardboard. You would wind up with an even bigger hole that I'm not quite sure they make grommets for.

Another large plus of grommet is that while you are happily making holes for nails and hooks you might not realize that you are also putting in holes made perfect for bungee cords, the grommets intended purpose. Now you can suspend your cardboard walls overhead and make them ceilings. Shifting walls and ceilings are easily made by stretching out a sheet of cardboard so it is suspended mid air. Using a PVC or 2 x 2 lightweight frame to stretch and anchor the bungee's to. Moving the frame can easily be accomplished with air rams or motors. Even easier is to suspend the sheet on a frame and have it anchored so you can manipulate the cardboard itself. Probably somewhat safer as well.

Cardboard is very versatile and very common. Let's give a real haunted look instead of those shiny black plastic bag ceilings all too common in towns everywhere.

Douglas Trouette is owner of SIC Productionz. SIC Productionz provides D.I.Y. Halloween animatronics and other inexpensive holiday animatronics as well as Halloween haunted props.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Shh Tzu Coconut Oil Is Healthy For You And Your Pets

One of the newest health foods for pets and people is coconut oil. Coconut oil is a saturated-fat vegetable oil. Coconuts have always been a staple of tropical cuisines and people following a coconut-based diet. These people rarely suffered from heart disease, cancer, diabetes or other illnesses that haunt modern America.

According to the people who use coconut oil regularly it can reduce the risk of cancer and other degenerative conditions, improves cholesterol levels and helps to fight heart disease, improves digestion and nutrient absorption, contains antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal agents that prevent infection an disease........some even use it to brush their and for underarm deodorant. I do believe I have seen the ingredient coconut oil in several of my favorite deodrants.

This is good news for people and their dogs since most of coconut oil's human benefits are the same for canines. Try giving your shih tzu some coconut oil to see if he/she likes the taste. It has been reported that most dogs do love the taste of coconut oil, which makes feeding it to your shih tzu more pleasant. I really don't like giving my shih tzu anything that is unpleasant even if it is for their own good.

You will need to get the right type. Most health food stores carry at least one brand and you can probably find it online. There are two main types of coconut oil. One is refined coconut oil (might be labeled RBD for Refined, Bleached, and Deordorized). It is made from copra, or dried coconut meat, then treated to remove impurities. Most RBD coconut oil is relatively inexpensive. It does not contain all the nutrients found in unrefined coconut oil and in most cases the coconuts used are lof low quality and chemicals like chorine and hexane are used in the refining process. The other type is Unrefined or virgin coconut oil and is made from fresh coconuts. hmmmm, sounds like the kind I would like best. I truly like coconut of anything. I want it to taste good and taste good to my dogs. I would go for the more expensive type.

Of course the better of the two is going to cost you more. Good-quality oil is colorless when liquid and pure white when solid, never yellow or pink and it should not contain residue or have an off or rancid odor. If you get hold of some coconut oil that gives you a scratchy throat or like a catch in the throat, this is probably a sign of poor quality. A smokey flavor or aroma is another indication of poor quality.

There are also hydrogenated and fractionated coconut oils. Hydrogenated coconut oil is not recommend for your dog because it contains harmful trans-fats. Fractionated coconut oil is a message oil and aromatherapy ingredient and is sold as a cosmetic ingredient.

For your shih tzu, you would need to start out with small amounts and increase gradually to about 1 tablespoon per 30 lbs. body weight daily (no shih tzu weighs this much), so you would need to adjust that dosage and ask your vet for help on that. You need to watch for changes in your dog's energy, skin, coat, breath and body odor.

You can also apply coconut oil topically to cuts, wounds, infected ears, bites and stings for both you and your pets.

Connie Limon publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts on shih tzu puppies are offered to subscribers. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Birthday Video Turn Your Child's Party Video Into A Fun Music Video

Kid Birthday Party - Birthday Video

Most people shoot some random video of their child?s birthday party, then toss the video in a drawer and forget about it.

Hey, we?re talking about some precious video of an important event in your child?s life. So if you?re going to shoot some video of your child?s birthday party, why not turn that footage it into a video everyone will want to see?

With just a little planning you can turn your child?s birthday party video footage into a fun music video that?s sure to become a treasured family keepsake and heirloom.

Choose A Favorite Song

Before you shoot your video, choose the song you want to use for your completed music video. It can be one of your child?s favorites, or one that fits your party theme. Now you can shoot your video to go along with the music. Most songs are about 2 and a half minutes long which tells you how long your completed music video will be.

10 Things You Need To Shoot

Putting up the decorations

Party guests arriving

Activities and crafts

Party Games

Bringing out the birthday cake

Opening cards and gifts

Finished decorations and balloons

Parents, brothers, sisters, family members and pets

Staged shots of your birthday child and guests being silly

Guests saying good-by and leaving

The birthday child?s parents collapsing on a chair after the party.

You may find other shots you want to include as well.

Fun Camera Angles

A series of short, fun shots will help make your music video more fun to watch. Try to make your shots at least 5 to 10 seconds in length, this will be very helpful when your footage is edited.

Stay away from using the zoom lens. Unless a zoom is done very well it tends to look amateurish.

Get lots of candid wide shots of your group.

Then move in and shoot medium shots with 2 or 3 people together.

Shoot close-ups of individual faces

Have fun by shooting some shots that are tilted to one side or stand on a chair and shoot down on the party. Put the camera on the floor and shoot up.

Editing Your Birthday Video - Music Video

If you have video editing software in your computer, you first need to digitize (transfer) the footage you?ve shot into the editing program. Then lay down your music track (the song you?ve selected).

Now start your music video with a simple but creative title like ?Mary?s 6th Birthday Party? with a sub title related to your birthday theme like ?A Royal Celebration.?

From the title you might want to use a fun wipe into your first shot. Try to keep your shots about 5 seconds long. That will keep the music video moving nicely without being too fast and visually annoying.

Also try to edit your footage together to tell the story of your party rather than just randomly mixing everything together.

Titles within your music video can also be fun. A title leading into some party game footage might read ?Extreame Musical Chairs? or ?Time To Pop The Balloons.?

As you edit your footage together, take a minute and preview the entire video from the beginning. This will help you to get a better feel for the overall pace. You might need to slow things down or speed then up. Check your video from the top when you have 30 seconds edited, 60 seconds edited and 90 seconds edited just to make sure the video is coming together the way you want it to.

Give yourself a little song time at the end to add your closing titles. Give yourself a screen credit, your party producer, and of course this video stars your birthday child.

At the very end of your credits you can have a little fun by cutting to one last silly shot.

If you don?t have access to a video editor, take a quick look at

Fun-Kid-Birthday-Parties.com

Birthday Video - Music Video World Premiere

After you've edited your award winning music video together, it's time for your world premiere. Why not invite all your party guests and parents over for a private screening? Make some popcorn and have some fun.

Years From Now

Imagine years from now when you and your child sit down to watch this video together. You'll both be very happy you did something with all that precious video footage.

And as the years pass, your granchildren might just get to see your treasured keepsake DVD from so many years ago... I wonder if they'll still call them music videos?

Mike Dougherty is a video editor and regional Emmy award winning videographer. Mike is now the webmaster for http://fun-kid-birthday-parties.com and the movie themed http://best-dvd-movie-club.com

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Helping Your Child with Sensory Needs Back to School

The lazy days of summer are slowly winding down as the new school year approaches. You may find yourself in need of some transitional activities or ideas to help your child with sensory processing disorder. Here are some suggestions:

  • Ask your child about what tangible type objects give her comfort. Or ask about what types of things he likes doing to feel more comfortable? Phrase questions as concretely as possible and also to your child?s understanding. The object might be something like a soft, squeezable stuffed animal or a hand fidgit she can quietly manipulate when she feels over sensitized. It may be a chewable something like a straw, gum or rubbery object. Whatever ?it? is listen to what your child is telling you he needs in order to feel more secure. You may find that you already have that something within your possession. If not, don?t fret. You can be creative with your child in designing the ?comfort item? at home with materials you already possess or going to your local discount retailer to obtain it at little extra cost.
  • Often choosing a few summer closing activities your child enjoys doing is a good way of transitioning to a new situation. Be creative with your child in choosing these and make it more fun by having the rule be that the activity has to be at little or no expense. Some of my favorites are: packing a picnic and taking a walk to a nearby park to have it. I have each child pick and help make at least one of their favorite foods from some ?sensible? choices offered (this way I am more assured of them eating more healthfully). We also like going to a nearby horse stable that offers pony rides for $5 for as long as the kids can ride. This gives the children much needed work on balance and coordination as well as interaction with animals. Be creative and work together to come up with ideas!
  • For more ideas of transitional activities, I suggest talking together as a family to find out what everyone likes and dislikes. Try to come up with ideas that provide the most sensory need for the buck.

    Christopher R. Auer, MA is the author of Parenting a Child with Sensory Processing Disorder: A Family Guide to Understanding and Supporting Your Sensory Sensitive Child (New Harbinger, 2006) Additional information at http://www.spdresources.com or email spdresources@comcast.net

    Monday, June 15, 2009

    The Advantages of Canopy Gazebos

    Canopy gazebos are for the economically minded but that doesn?t mean cheap. Some consumers actually prefer a canopy gazebo to a permanent structure, because a canopy gazebo is portable. You can take it down and set it up whenever and wherever you please. They?re great for lounging, picnics, and so on, and they work wonderfully well as merchandise tents at arts and crafts festivals.

    Most canopy gazebos require two or more people for set-up. To set up a canopy gazebo on natural ground, erect the poles and frame, batten them down with the included ropes and stakes, stretch the canopy over and secure it to the frame, and you?re done. That?s it. It?s that simple. You don?t need to tear up your yard and you don?t need to call the authorities for a permit.

    Even easier to set up are those canopy gazebos that are spring loaded to assemble from one piece. Just take it out of the box, spread the sections, stake it to the ground, and voila! Instant shade. Some canopy gazebos don?t even need to be fastened to the ground. Just put it up on your driveway, front porch, or other convenient flat space.

    A canopy gazebo can cost you anything from $80 to $300, depending on size, materials, style, and quality. An aluminum or vinyl canopy gazebo will be less expensive but more portable than a gazebo with a wrought iron frame. In the case of the heavier frame, it typically would be moved less often ? say, once in the spring and once in the fall.

    You can find a canopy gazebo at your local sporting goods outlet, home furnishings warehouse, or general store and various online retailers and auction sites too.

    Gazebos Info provides detailed information about spa, garden, patio, canopy, screened, metal, and vinyl gazebos, as well as gazebo plans and kits. Gazebos Info is the sister site of Awnings Web.

    Saturday, June 13, 2009

    Back to School Disappontment?

    Our back-to-school buying habits do not help kids succeed in the classroom!

    Parents are buying new book bags, school clothes, tennis shoes, notebooks, pens, etc., with the mistaken belief that this will help their child succeed in school. By mid-September the clothes will be dirty, the book bag will be torn, the new pens will be lost, and the notebook will have writing all over the cover. Additionally, those ?in? sneakers will suddenly be ?out? and the new ?must have or I?ll die? pair will cost you another $125.

    The back to school retail season is the second most important market for retailers ? a staggering $14 Billion is spend from mid July until mid-September to get our children ready for the new school year. Yes, it is important that our children have the right mind set for their new school year?s challenge. Certainly, they need to get off on the right foot and make a good first impression with the teachers. The question becomes ? what do parents do when the new clothes, shoes, book bags, and things become ?old?? (Old in a student?s eyes can be anything over two weeks.) What do we give our children to help them for the rest of the school year?

    Our gift is to teach our children how to take more responsibility for their education. It is essential that we give them the tools they need to succeed today, tomorrow, and for the rest of their lives. How can we get kids to ?own? their education? If we show them how to set and achieve goals and how to use these principles in the classroom we will give them important life skills tools that they will use for a lifetime.

    Teach Your Child:

    1. No Vision = No Direction. Have them write down what they want to accomplish in the first 10, 20, 30 days of the school year.

    2. Teach them not to Don?t Find Fault ? Find A Solution

    3. Minimizing the Bummer Words: Show them how these six words that can hold them back from being successful - no, can?t, won?t, never, maybe, and if.

    4. Coach your child that To Earn More they will have to Learn More, Think More and Do More

    5. Stress the ?I?ll Make It Happen? words: yes, I can, and I will.

    6. Demonstrate to them the power of Eliminating Excuses

    7. Show them tangibles examples of how to set and achieve goals. Give them examples for how to use goal setting in the classroom.

    8. Help them to develop a habit to ask themselves each day: ?Did I Give My Best Effort to Today?s Activities??

    9. Demonstrate the importance of Helping Others

    10. FOCUS = Vision + Goals + Attitude + Action

    Teaching your child how to set and achieve goals will make a positive, long-term difference in their performance in the classroom, in the workplace and in life.

    John Bishop is the Executive Director of Accent on Success?, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping students succeed in the classroom and in life. He is the author of Goal Setting for Students? which has won three national parent book awards.

    Please visit our website www.AccentOnSuccess.com for more information.

    314-664-6110
    jbishop@AccentOnSuccess.com
    http://www.AccentOnSuccess.com

    Thursday, June 11, 2009

    Scary Halloween Crafts

    Looking for some great Halloween crafts for your Halloween party, haunted house, or just for trick-or-treaters?

    A fun craft is something that can keep you occupied for hours on end especially if you enjoy it. Here are some ideas that will hopefully set you on your way in preparation for your next Halloween...

    Halloween Crafts Part 1:

    If you live in a house that has a wood-burning fireplace, then chances are that you have access to tree stumps or large blocks of wood. These are great for making stands for your Jack O'Lanterns. You could use a chisel to slightly hollow out the middle of the stump so that the lantern can sit stably or simply use some Blu-Tack or Velcro.

    Get some small or mini pumpkins and hollow them out to use as candle holders. If open flames are out of the question, you can put glow sticks instead of candles for a different effect. You can carve, draw or paint faces on the pumpkins too. Instead of pumpkins, you could use apples as well. Ensure that you choose apples that sit well and flat or cut off the bottom to make a flat surface. Remove the stem and cut around it deep enough for the candle. It is best to use taper candles for a better fit.

    Get a large pumpkin and hollow it out to use as a salad bowl or to serve fresh vegetables. Cut off the top, hollow and clean it out and let it dry in the sun. You could carve a jagged edge design on the top. Do the same with some smaller or mini pumpkins to use for dips or salad dressings.

    Make a scarecrow in your front yard. You need two pieces of wood, one put into the ground and the other nailed across for the arms. Use old jeans and a shirt and stuff them with newspaper. Add some straw for effect. You can use a plastic pumpkin for the head and draw a face on it. This makes a great Halloween craft for the whole family.

    Tie glow sticks to helium balloons and let them float around the house. Ensure that some string extends below so that people can easily reach them if they get stuck somewhere or simply to play with them.

    Use publicly available Halloween fonts on your computer to make banners or invitations for your party. It's a fast, easy Halloween craft you can use instantly to enhance your party theme. Print them onto inkjet iron-on transfer paper and put them onto your favourite t-shirt or Halloween outfit.

    Halloween Crafts Part 2. OK, Now We Are Getting Scary...

    A visit to your local hardware store for some basic items and you could make your own tombstones transforming your garden into an instant graveyard. Paint them grey to resemble stone. Do not worry about the details as it will be dark, but do put on some exciting or scary wordings. By the way, your local hardware store is loaded with Halloween craft ideas.

    Going trick or treating? Why not make a special jug to collect candies? Cut off the top two inches of a gallon milk jug. Soak to remove any labels. Paint orange. Once dry, paint or stick on eyes nose and mouth resembling a Jack O'Lantern. Use fluorescent paint for a nice effect. The jug can be kept for future reuse.

    Using six pipe cleaners, you can make your own skeleton. Bend one pipe cleaner into two for the backbone. Twist another around the bottom of the backbone to make into the legs. Do the same for the arms. Join two pipe cleaners and twist them around the backbone leaving some space forming a ribcage. Twist the last pipe cleaner for a head and glue on some eyes. Hang with a rubber band for a bouncing effect. Your kids will love making halloween crafts with pipe cleaners. But be careful when cutting and keep them out of their mouth.

    Using glue and food coloring, you can make a see through painting. Paint a Halloween image onto a piece of plastic wrap. Before the mixture dries, put another piece of plastic wrap on. Cut it out and hang it in front of a light source for a see through effect. You could also frame the plastic pictures using wood or cardboard if you want them to be longer lasting.

    Halloween Crafts Part 3. The Real Scary Stuff...

    Make some hand printed spiders. Apply black paint to your palm and 4 fingers leaving out the thumb. Place palm onto a piece of paper. Turn the paper 180 degrees and print again making sure the palm overlaps. Add some wiggly eyes using either paint or sticks. This is suitable for even 2 or 3 year olds.

    Make your own blood. It is less expensive than buying ready made blood from the Halloween shops. It's not difficult; all you need is Karo syrup and food coloring. While you're at it, why not make some slime using glue, water and borax powder. This is an advanced Hallween craft, so take your time and be careful.

    Using apples, you can make dried, shrunken heads. Peel the apples and coat with a mixture of lemon juice and salt to prevent browning. Carve out a face of eyes, nose and mouth. Do not worry about the finer details as they will probably be lost when the apple dries. You can use whole cloves for the eyes and rice grains for the teeth. Let the apples sit out in a warm place for about 2 weeks. If you don't have 2 weeks, you can speed up the drying by putting them into an oven on the lowest temperature for about 45 minutes and then to dry out naturally for the next 2 days or so. Once dried, they shrink and deform into weird and scary looking faces.

    Says Angie Maroevich, You don't have to spend a fortune on commercial Halloween supplies to have a great party. There are many inexpensive alternatives laying around the house or at your local store you can use to create a Halloween theme that will impress all your friends.

    About The Author

    Angie Maroevich is an arts and crafts enthusiast, business owner, and athlete. Her arts and crafts articles and be found at http://www.craft-ideas-guide.com.

    ? 2004-2005 All rights reserved.

    angie@craft-ideas-guide.com

    Tuesday, June 9, 2009

    Planning Your Move: The Day of Your Move

    It is finally here, the day you have been planning for in the last two month has finally arrived and you are moving out. If you followed the previous steps of this moving guide, you should be absolutely ready to hit the road. This last part of the guide will provide you with important tips for the big day.

    Moving Out

    It is recommended to stay home until the last item is loaded onto the truck. Make one last walkthrough in your house and perform the final inspection before the moving team leaves. Confirm sure that every single item was loaded and that nothing is left behind. Make sure your phone is connected throughout the day. Pack your phone in one of your suitcases only after the movers left. If you instructed your utilities providers to disconnect your utilities today, verify that they followed your instructions and that all utilities have been disconnected. Before you leave the house, clean it and remove all debris that is left behind. While doing so, take another look and inspect every room to make sure that you did not forget anything. Be sure to inspect everywhere including the attic, garage, etc. Meet the new owner of your home or real estate agent for a final walk through the property and provide the new owner or real estate agent with the keys.

    Working With You Moving Company

    It is very important to be present when your movers arrive. If you cannot to be present while the movers are packing and loading your household content, designate a friend or family member to help out and make decisions in your absence. Make sure that with your chosen representative knows exactly what to do as it is likely that this person will be asked questions during the move. Be sure to let the movers know who your representative is. Go over all paperwork and details before the truck leaves with your household content. Verify that all the details are correct, that the price is as you were quoted for, and that the inventory list is complete and clear. Accompany the movers? manager as he inspects your content for any damages. If damages are found or documented on your inventory list, you must make sure that this is an accurate documentation as any found damages that appear on the inventory will be used as proof of items condition prior to the load in case of an insurance damage claim.

    For more information visit http://www.moveeast.com Free guides are available

    Jony White is a relocation consultant for California New York Express, a leading moving company since 1995.

    California New York Express specializes in the New York ? Los Angeles ? San Francisco routes.

    To learn more about this moving company and the relocation services offered, visit moveeast.com or call 1-888-680-7200

    Sunday, June 7, 2009

    Summer Vacation and Your Pond

    So you've got your summer vacation plans all made. You've got a checklist to remind you to stop the newspaper delivery, hold your mail, drop the dog off at the kennels, and something else. Something that you're forgetting. Oh yeah, the pond. What are you going to do about the pond?

    If you're going away for a long weekend then your pond won't even miss you. Check your water levels and make all of other normal tests, feed your fish, and hit the road.

    However, if you're going away for a longer period, say a week or two, then you'll need to take some extra measures to ensure that your pond stays safe and happy and that it doesn't miss you while you're gone. Here's a few more items to add to your vacation checklist:

    1. Filter

    About a week before you pack the kids into the SUV clean all of the mechanical parts of your filter and pumps. This includes brushes and settlement chambers and all of the pre-filter parts. You want to do this a week in advance so you can keep an eye on the resulting water quality, after the cleaning, to make sure that everything is in balance.

    2. Change your water

    Dump about 20-30% of the existing pond water and replace it with clean and chlorine-free water. This helps to dilute any build up of nitrates or ammonia. Fill the pond to the top to compensate for evaporation while you are gone. This is a good time to check your oxygen levels as well as perform all of your other water balancing tests.

    3. Place a moratorium on new fish

    This is not the time to add new fish to your pond. You won't be there to monitor their progress and there's no telling what kind of problems you will face when you return.

    4. Predator Protection

    Figure that your heron, raccoon, and other neighborhood predators are going to rush to your pond the moment that your taillights disappear and plan accordingly. If you do not already have natural hiding spots in your pond then cover it with a secure pond net that is made especially for this purpose.

    5. Feeding

    If you'll be gone for two weeks or less, feed your fish their normal amount just prior to leaving and don't worry about it again until you get back.

    Your average koi can get along just fine without being fed for two weeks or less. They'll find plenty of algae and the occasional wayward bug to snack on and their metabolism will adjust quickly to a reduced diet for a short period of time.

    If you plan to be gone for a longer time then your only alternatives are either having someone come and feed for you, or getting an automatic fish feeder. Fish feeders can be expensive, they can break down and stop feeding, and they are also subject to malfunctioning and overfeeding. Your best bet is a friend or neighbor.

    If you are going to depend on human help make sure that you leave very explicit feeding instructions and tell them not to deviate even a tiny bit. Make sure that they know that overfeeding fish is not a treat and that they could end up killing the fish while trying to do a good deed. Also let them know that if they miss a feeding day not to feed twice as much the next time to make up for it.

    Now here are some tips for when you return:

    1. Check to make sure that all of your fish are present and accounted for and that they all appear healthy.

    2. Perform all of the usual water tests and adjust anything that is out of balance.

    3. Clean your filter and pumps just like you did before you left for vacation.

    4. Resume your normal feeding schedule.

    Owning a pond doesn't mean that you have to give up your well-deserved vacation. A little planning and common sense goes a long way.

    About the Author:

    Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several other pond-related websites including www.MacArthurWatergardens.com and www.Pond-Filters-Online.com He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE 'New Pond Owners Guide' visit MacArthur Water Gardens today.

    Friday, June 5, 2009

    Finding The Right Deck Plans For You

    To know what idea you have for your deck, you must first find what shape you want the design to take. Upon finding the design of your dreams, proceed to make the process of creating the deck a reality. After consolidating on a plan, much thought will need to go into who will be the contractor for the start of the work to be done, and once they've started you must make certain that the work will be completed. All the time taken may not be worthwhile if a thoughtful approach isn't used.

    When starting to get a grasp of what structure you would like to see attached to your home, it is always a good idea to find as many different themes as possible, but also to review the elements that will make your deck fit especially well into its' location. Once taking into regard of what will be necessary for the process of getting the materials, and finding a decent but affordable contractor, the design of the deck should be fairly easy to acquire and customize to suit a variety of your purposes.

    There are many differing designs, from angular low-level decks to casually curved and contemporary curved decks, but the utility remains one of the biggest qualities similar to all deck plans.

    Having the deck function on a level of use that can be harsh on the lifespan is detrimental to how well the deck will hold up, but that is mostly a case for the materials used than the structure that has been designed to accommodate the heavy use that a deck would get out of its' owner's requirements.

    There are also many different places to acquire, even drawing up your own designs over the Internet, from the advice of local construction professionals to plans that could be free if looked for in the right places.

    The quest for perfect plans to build a deck from can be vexing, but well worth the effort put towards the search, finding the right set of plans to make your dream come true requires persistent amounts of commitment. Once finding a deck plan to work with building will be easy.

    Taking the time to understand where the placement of where the deck will be, and making sure the area is well-manicured for the beginning steps to building the deck, will go long way once the plans have been finalized. Once you have found the design which makes the most sense for you, it wise to make sure there are no changes that you wish to make, and if there are changes you should consult a professional engineer to help finalize those amended parts into the structures' plans.

    Once all changes have been made to the plans that you would wish to have done, it can then be a simple effort arranging all the pieces of equipment and the necessary help, but always keep in mind your definite vision's allowances. Any structural and planning contradiction should be corrected as soon as is possible before any construction goes into production. If these items have given you any more motivation to build your own deck, be confident that you will meet your goal.

    Nicky is a do-it-yourself landscape enthusiast who has written numerous articles for various landscaping books on helping individuals plan their home design projects. He has created http://www.loneoak.net which consolidates all of his knowledge into colorful illustrations with free installation tips for various deck ideas.

    Wednesday, June 3, 2009

    Santas Workshop ~Diary of an Elf ~ Day 10

    Hello everyone,

    Not much going on around here today. Everyone is too busy making some toys for Santa to deliver on Christmas Eve. The senior elves are still working on the wooden blocks ~cutting them into blocks and painting them with different letters of the alphabet. The novice elves started painting the doll house furniture, which takes a long time. Santa spent most of the day putting electric into the doll houses~ an overhead light in each room and the cutest doorbell at the front door. Mrs. Claus was knitting rugs, bedspreads, tablecloths, afghans for the dollhouse.

    Santa tried on his red suit that he usually wears on Christmas Eve. He looked so funny ~ he couldn't even button his shirt and his belt didn't go all around him. Mrs. Claus has put him on a diet ~ no snacks, no candy, just 3 basic healthy meals each day. Santa is going around saying I'm hungry all the time!! He even tried eating some grain from the reindeer feeder, but it was disgusting.

    Hey, you kids, ~ do you know what an elf looks like? He has to be under 4'9 (1.5m.) have a pair of pointed ears and have previous toy making experience. He works for Santa 10 months a year ~ 2 months vacation. He can have the left over toys on December 25th!! Not bad??

    Well that's all for now. See you tomorrow. Be good!! Santa is watching you!!!

    Ashlee Williams writes a daily report about the happenings at the North Pole, through the eyes of anelf. Why don't you visit her for interesting reading at: http://santasworkshop.blog.com

    Monday, June 1, 2009

    Surviving Holiday Stress: Your ToDon't List

    The gods don?t ask for human sacrifice anymore, do they? Then why do millions of women turn themselves into burnt offerings each winter?

    It hits about mid-November: Obsessive Giving Disorder. Turning ordinary women into Nurturing Ninjas. Hopped-up on hospitality hormones, they launch into a frenzy of baking, shopping, decorating, crocheting, hosting, serving, costuming, shopping, wrapping, preserving and worshipping madly at the altar of Toxic Traditions. It becomes a Superbowl of Martyrdom when every shred of selfhood disappears into the Bermuda Triangle of Holiday Obligation.

    Is there a cure?

    Not yet. Whatever drives this compulsion--whether it?s ancestral memories of hoarding for winter, internalized domestic programming or the ultimate holiday horror: the fear of disappointing someone--Oh my god, the pony didn?t make her eyes light up! --OGD has to run its course. A chemical, seasonal, cultural imbalance, in December it becomes the alpha motivator: The Big Dogma. BE ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE it commands.

    SO YOU?RE SINKING IN HOLIDAY DOGMA-DOO.

    ?Well, maybe if I just get organized,? you say. ?Put my to-do list in order.?

    Careful--that?s the disease talking.

    The Holiday To-Do list has a life of its own. It grows faster than a B-Movie mutation. Forget trying to contain it. A need-meeter?s brain is a warm moist incubator for this fungus.

    The only hope of surviving the Curse of Caring Too Much is to leave the monster alone and attack the lesser demons: the Beta stressors--those second-string compulsions.

    You can start by turning your imagination around.

    USING YOUR WHAT-IFS FOR GOOD INSTEAD OF EVIL

    We?re great at imagining the family unit will go supernova if we don?t live up to our over-doing reputations. In retrospect it?s always obvious: holidays never meet everyone?s expectations. And does it matter? Are lives lost?

    Imagination can be an ally when we ask:

    Would the world come to an end if I made potatoes from a box?

    Would the dinner table turn into Lord of the Flies if I didn?t sculpt every family pet out of marzipan this year?

    Would Charlie end up in therapy for abandonment issues if I didn't crochet his name onto that videogame cozy?

    Congratulate yourself every time you let go of omnipotence.

    But when you?re up against Toxic Traditions, you?ll need more in your arsenal than just what-ifs.

    Dogma-doers must minimize their exposure to the needs of others.

    PINK EXCUSES

    Remember Little White Lies? They spare the feelings of others. Pink lies spare your own as well!

    Need-meeters are obligation magnets. They cannot screen out the pleading eyes or the passive-aggressive demands. Excuses that buy you a little time out are crucial because absence is an anal accommodator?s only defense.

    There are three basic categories of Pink Lies:

    Why you have to leave early.

    Why you have to come late.

    Why you have to leave in the middle.

    EXAMPLES:

    THE MEDICAL STAND-BY: I have: (pick one: allergies, female troubles, New Guinea Flu or if necessary: ?some kind of oozing pussy rash?)

    THE BIG GUNS: ?I have to go in for a pre-surgical consultation and I won?t be able to fly out that day?

    THE POOR ME: ?I made two huge pots of my favorite ginger Sherry pumpkin soup and then I set it on top of my car and drove off. Maybe next year.?

    THE I?LL BE RIGHT BACK: ?I forgot to get the sour cream?No, it?s a special l kind and I am the only one who knows where to find it.? When you return after three blissful hours, bravely recount your wretched Odyssey to twenty-six 7-11?s.

    THE NOT MY FAULT: My husband decided to go find his birth mother, we?re leaving for the Philippines tonight. (Always use someone else as your excuse whenever possible.)

    From the banal to the sublime, migraines to court-ordered community service, the Pink Lie buys you a little separation from your demanding fans. But don?t forget you need to stay one step ahead of your internal Perfection Police.

    SETTING YOURSELF UP FOR FAILURE: SWEET BLESSED FAILURE

    It?s important to set yourself up for failure. Yes, for failure.

    For falling short of your massive potential. Not an easy task for an OGD. You must plan carefully and remain vigilant.

    MAKING YOUR TO-DON?T LIST

    An anal accommodator is incapable of limiting the guest list to three digits or stopping at sixteen sets of meringue cr?che figures. She cannot spend less, do less, coddle less, say yes less. So she must look for something that she can eliminate. Naturally, it will be a non-holiday related task since the whole Yule area of the brain has been taken over by MARTIAL LAW.

    Ask yourself: Where can I economize my energy?

    If you were devoting extra hours to anther kind of winter disaster like clearing mudslides, housing the homeless, you would probably lighten up on routine domestic chores at home. Cut yourself the same slack.

    Try out this delicious TO-DON?T LIST SAMPLER

    Don?t change clothes for three days.

    Don?t cook anything but microwave food on Fridays and Tuesdays.

    Don?t help your son with homework on Mondays.

    Don?t clean the refrigerator.

    Don't volunteer cupcakes.

    Don?t change the sheets till New Year?s.

    Be sure and WRITE DOWN your To-Don?t List

    And when you have not done them, check them off proudly! You stole back a little time. That?s a rare achievement for a compulsive Dogma-Doer?truly something to celebrate! ====

    Joan Bechtel @2005 All Rights Reserved

    Resource Box: Joan Bechtel, award-winning comedienne, early childhood educator and author of MOTHERHOOD CONFIDENTIAL, is a Personalized Parenting speaker, helping women out of the dogma-doo to find their own personally-correct answers. For free tips: When Motherhood Tears Friendship Apart-7 way to Keep It Together, 10 Antidotes to Toxic Taboos, Guide to Creating Your Own Internal U.N. go to http://www.MotherhoodConfidential.com